353 W Julian St
353 W Julian St is a 9-story building in Downtown San Jose with 65% of its floor area within daylight reach of a facade. This screen estimates 204 homes and scores it 53 out of 100 for office-to-residential conversion suitability.
CA-18 · Screened 2026-09-12 · Worth a feasibility study
Where 353 W Julian St is
Its block in Downtown San Jose, drawn from San Jose's own building outlines and street centerlines.
- Already housing
- Not screened
- 353 W Julian St
This building does not pencil at default assumptions, even with a modeled RESIDE Act grant.
Every floor carries 12,754 sq ft of windowless core — area that must be gutted, seismically braced and sprinklered but can never be rented as an apartment. Across 8 residential floors that is 102,036 sq ft of cost carrying no revenue.
Modeled conversion metrics for 353 W Julian St, 2026-09-12.
| Suitability scoreWorth a feasibility study | 53 / 100 |
|---|---|
| Storiesfrom 105 ft LiDAR height ÷ 12 ft floor-to-floor | 9 |
| Floor plateper floor, from the city footprint | 36,669 sq ft |
| Daylight efficiencyshare within 35 ft of a facade | 65% |
| Deepest interior pointviability threshold is 80 ft | 72 ft |
| Windowless coreper floor — renovated but never rentable | 12,754 sq ft |
| Estimated homesat 750 sq ft average | 204 |
| Conversion cost$405/sq ft all-in on 293,355 sq ft | $118.8M |
| Gap before grantshortfall against completed value | $32.1M |
| Modeled RESIDE grantat the statutory per-award cap | $10.0M |
| BuiltSan Jose does not publish a construction year with this data | — |
| ZoningDowntown San Jose | CIC |
| Opportunity Zonenot in a 2018 designated tract | No |
The plan: window line, shape and floor rhythm
34 ft of exterior wall for each home the screen estimates — enough for two- and three-bedroom homes across the plan.
The typical floor has 870 ft of exterior wall, and across 8 residential floors the building carries 6,956 ft of it in total, divided among the 204 homes this screen estimates.
Its plate is moderately compact at 0.61: a squarish plan, with enough perimeter for a conventional double-loaded corridor. How window line and plate shape are measured.
At the model’s 750 sq ft average, the plan works out at about 25.5 homes per floor, repeated on every residential floor, since this building's outline does not change as it rises.
Why 353 W Julian St scores 53 out of 100
Daylight efficiency 50, Interior depth 21, Scale 100, Finance 69 — each out of 100, then weighted.
Score components for 353 W Julian St. Points are the subscore times its weight.
| Component | Subscore | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight efficiency65% of the floor area within 35 ft of a facade, scored from 40% up to 90% | 50 | 45% | 22.7 |
| Interior depthdeepest interior point 72 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft | 21 | 25% | 5.2 |
| Scale204 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150 | 100 | 15% | 15.0 |
| Financeremaining gap is 19% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0% | 69 | 15% | 10.3 |
Most of what it earns comes from daylight efficiency, and what holds it back most is interior depth, at 21 out of 100: deepest interior point 72 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft.
What the conversion would cost
$405 per square foot all-in across 293,355 sq ft of converted floor, or $118.8M in total — about $582K for each of the 204 homes.
All-in cost per square foot for 353 W Julian St: base cost plus the code work a change of use triggers.
| Base conversion cost | $260/sq ft |
|---|---|
| Seismic retrofit (change of use) | $45/sq ft |
| Plumbing risers to every unit | $40/sq ft |
| Operable windows and glazing | $30/sq ft |
| Additional egress stair | $18/sq ft |
| Fire sprinklers (NFPA 13R) | $12/sq ft |
| All-in | $405/sq ft |
That cost is charged across every converted square foot, including the 102,036 sq ft of windowless core, which has to be gutted, seismically braced and sprinklered like the rest of the building and then earns nothing. Against it the model sets a completed value of $425K a home, which for 204 homes is $86.7M.
What would have to be true
A $32.1M gap before any grant, $22.1M after the modeled one. The smallest single change that would close it: average unit size 21% down.
The shortfall before any grant is $32.1M. Closing it from the value side means each of the 204 homes finishing at $582K rather than the $425K the model assumes — 37% more. Closing it from the cost side means getting all-in cost down from $405 to $296 per square foot.
A modeled RESIDE grant of $10.0M moves that threshold to $533K a home. That is still above the $425K assumed, leaving $22.1M uncovered, which is why the grant does not unlock this one.
Nor do all four levers have to move. For 353 W Julian St, one alone would close the gap at:
Single-assumption flip points for 353 W Julian St, each holding the other three at their defaults.
| Average unit sizethe binding constraint — the least this building would need | 21% downto 596 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Completed value per home | 26% upto $533K |
| Conversion cost per square foot | 29% downto $185/sq ft |
All four are sliders in the survey, where 353 W Julian St re-scores against your own numbers.
How it compares in Downtown San Jose
353 W Julian St ranks 50th of the 82 buildings screened here, against a median score of 64.
Its floor plate is better lit than 37% of them, and shallower than 41% of them at its deepest interior point. On size it is the 41st largest by estimated homes. The full survey of all 82 buildings ranks and maps every one of them, and the list by address links each to its own page.
Its nearest match in size: 282 Almaden Blvd
The screened building closest to 353 W Julian St in converted floor area is 282 Almaden Blvd: 290,867 sq ft over 9 stories, against 293,355 sq ft over 9 here.
353 W Julian St scores 53 to its 48, and with the size held roughly equal most of that lead comes from interior depth: 21 out of 100 here, 2 there (deepest interior point 79 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft). On the money they sit in the same place: each falls short even with the modeled grant. The two stand about 3,900 ft apart.
Would it qualify for a RESIDE Act grant?
The model awards 353 W Julian St $10.0M, on the assumption it qualifies. Whether it does, no published dataset can say.
That figure assumes the building meets the Act’s vacant-and-abandoned test, which turns on code-enforcement and receivership records no city publishes.
It does not sit in a 2018 designated Opportunity Zone, so it would not draw that Section 201 priority.
Other buildings screened near 353 W Julian St
The 4 closest the screen also covers, from 280 ft away. They are the colored outlines on the plan at the top of this page.
- 333 W Julian St7 stories · 69% daylit · 140 estimated homes · scores 61/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 280 ft away
- 373 W Julian St7 stories · 69% daylit · 142 estimated homes · scores 62/100 (Worth a feasibility study)about 310 ft away
- 201 Bassett St6 stories · 78% daylit · 104 estimated homes · scores 76/100 (Strong candidate)about 970 ft away
- 255 W Julian St8 stories · 92% daylit · 79 estimated homes · scores 92/100 (Strong candidate)about 1,060 ft away
A screen, not a feasibility study, from outlines and heights rather than plans: the method and how to correct a figure. If you know this building’s interior, you know what this model cannot see.